Usually we see 3D printer companies making ever-larger devices. But now the maker of a large unit produces a smaller unit.

BigRep’s reputation is in their skill building very large format 3D printers, such as the BigRep One. That device has a build volume of approximately 1m on a side, making it possible to literally 3D print one-piece furniture items.

However, according to BigRep Boss Rene Gurka, their sales team encountered problems marketing the One to some clients: it simply did not fit through the doorway!

You may say, “just take it apart and reassemble on site”. In fact, BigRep attempted to do that a few times, but the results were not good. It’s always better to do final assembly at the factory where workers can use proper tooling and measurement equipment to properly complete the job. Of course, you could also knock down walls, but that’s a bit extreme in most cases.

Thus it seems that BigRep was losing the occasional sale, simply due to size.

Inside the BigRep Studio large-format 3D printer

Enter their new product, the BigRep Studio. It’s a machine similar in function to the One, but with a “reduced” build volume. I say “reduced” because it’s still ridiculously large at 1,000 x 500 x 500mm, far larger than most 3D printers.

The single direct-drive extruder can be set to use a 0.6mm nozzle, making large prints complete quickly. I believe it can also use a massive 2.0mm nozzle as well for extremely rapid printing. The Studio can print PLA and PETG, as well as BigRep’s own PRO HT high temperature PLA-like material.

One interesting switch on this unit is that it includes an enclosed build chamber, unlike its sibling, the BigRep One, which is open to the air, or as Gurka says, “room temperature 3D printing”.

It’s interesting to observe how companies like BigRep are adapting to their client needs. It’s no longer a world where you can build a machine and throw it onto the market. It has to fit the client.

And in this case, Gurka says that the Studio “can fit through anywhere, even the smallest doorway in Tokyo.”

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has been writing Fabbaloo posts since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!

Fabbaloo is a daily online publication focusing on the 3D print and additive manufacturing industries. We provide deeper analysis of developments in current and future technologies as well as corporate matters. If there’s something happening in 3D technologies, especially FDM, SLA, SLS and Stereolithography, we’ll have an opinion about it.